Flagship Development Rebranding Shrinkage: The Case of Manchester

This paper investigates the role that flagship developments are having in the regeneration agenda of cities suffering of urban shrinkage. It focuses on Manchester, which is facing the situation with growing ambitious objectives. Compiling and critically assessing its multiple flagship developments, the paper studies Manchester's decay process by opposing it to the development initiatives that are coping with it. They are aiming to reverse the population drainage affecting Manchester and its metropolitan area, by bringing back its previous regional role as an economic and cultural centre. The paper argues that even though Manchester has performed well in the political game, and cosmetically improved certain areas, its flagship developments have not been able to fix the economic or social problems derived from its decay.